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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065272">Next to you (the sky is more blue)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/straightfire/pseuds/straightfire'>straightfire</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>ADD/ADHD Tony Stark, Adventures, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Anxiety Disorder, Awkward Flirting, Badly Written, Banter, Drinking, Drug Abuse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Insecure Stephen Strange, Insomnia, Justin Hammer is a dick, M/M, My First Fanfic, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Oblivious Stephen Strange, Oblivious Tony Stark, Protective Stephen Strange, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reckless Tony Stark, Secret Crush, Sexual Tension, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Ty Stone is not that bad, Work In Progress, Young Tony Stark, Young stephen strange, kind of, possible sexual content, probably not</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:15:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,950</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065272</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/straightfire/pseuds/straightfire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark and Stephen Strange didn't like each other. They're constantly forced to spend time around each other by their friends, but they still didn't get along. One day, Tony needed some help, and Stephen was the best candidate, and...feelings were a tricky thing. With their lives intertwined, they could both could learn a few things. </p><p>Excerpt: </p><p> “They sound stupid to me,” Strange said, leaning back and finally looking to the other genius with an unreadable expression. “But, then again, so do you, Stark.” </p><p>“You can fuck right off, Strange.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Christine Palmer &amp; Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes &amp; Tony Stark, Justin Hammer/Tony Stark, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Pepper Potts &amp; James "Rhodey" Rhodes &amp; Tony Stark, Pepper Potts &amp; Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Tony Stark &amp; Stephen Strange, Tony Stark/Other(s), Tony Stark/Stephen Strange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This is my first fanfic!</p><p>The title was inspired by the song Malibu by Miley Cyrus.</p><p>And sorry, I'm bad at summaries. </p><p>I have a lot of ideas, so I finally decided to do something about them during the quarantine. It might not be all that good, but I try. If you have any tips or anything you'd like to share, feel free! I need some constructive criticism in my life. I know that everyone is a little OOC. It's hard to get their characters down perfectly haha. </p><p>Thank you so much for reading! Have a good day :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>1 - </p><p> </p><p>“Rise and shine.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony stirred with a whine, throwing his arm over his eyes and turning to block the sudden and cheery sunlight that flooded his previously dark room. “I'm awake...close the blinds...” he muttered with a groan, waving in the general direction of the large window in an attempt to get Rhodey to close them again. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>For his troubles, his head pounded in a steady beat and his stomach twisted into a knot made by the finest boy scout. With caution, he rolled over again, opening his eyes in a squint to peer over at his friend, who was standing near the window, surrounded by the filth on the ground caused by a busy night. Empty liquor bottles were strewn around the room along with half-eaten boxes of junk food, party hats, multi-colored streamers, and it appeared that whoever was with him gutted nearly his whole closet before deciding to throw the contents all over the ground, topping off the mess. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Rhodey stepped around the clutter on the floor, giving him an already opened bottled water. “Get up, we’re going on your boat today.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Why?” Tony asked, grimacing from a combination of an awful hangover and the thought of doing anything at the moment. He took the water and sat up to drink. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Pepper wants to have a day out,” Rhodey shrugged, picking up an empty wine bottle off of the bed and looking at the mess. “Fun night?” The disappointment that was usually more obvious was well disguised under a raised eyebrow. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He and Pepper both had very strong, negative opinions about Tony’s awful habits. It was easy to see how they hated how he spent most of his nights high out of his mind or blackout drunk (or both). And it was maybe, just <em>maybe</em>, a little concerning that he had no memory from last night, but no one other than him needed to know that. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony didn’t answer. He finished off the water, tossing it in the direction of his trash and wiping his mouth. “What time is it?” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>His friend checked his watch. “Seven forty. I said we’d be there by eight-fifteen, but we have a full day ahead of us, so she shouldn’t be too mad that we’re late,” he said. “Go shower and clean yourself up. I’ll meet you downstairs.” With that, his best friend walked out. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony softly groaned, rubbing his temples as he slid out of bed to find some clothes. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>A half an hour later, he emerged from the bathroom freshly shaved, hair dried and straightened, and the headache and nausea were mostly gone after he threw up and took a handful of pain relievers. The only clean clothes he could find in the back of his closet were a pair of light grey shorts and a pink short sleeve button up. Everything else he would normally wear was, well, too busy decorating his floor. He also had a sneaking suspicion that the shirt wasn’t his. It was too big and hung off of him enough that he had to loosely tuck it in and unbutton it half-way to make it look decent, and he added the gold chain his mother gifted him when he was sixteen for good measure. Not that what he was wearing mattered on a day out with his friends, but the press was always lurking around the corner for an opportunity to mock him, so he had to be ready for everything. Once he made it outside, he spotted Rhodey leaning on the BMW. Tony unlocked the car. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Rhodey startled from the beep, nearly dropping his phone. “Very mature,” he glared, gripping the device tighter than necessary. As much as he tried to appear angry, the look had no heat behind it, and he was holding back a smile. He glanced back down to respond to a text. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony grinned, rounding the car to get in the driver’s seat. “Your words wound me,” He clutched his chest dramatically right before opening the door.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Your time management skills wound <em>me</em>. What took you so long? Don’t tell me you were holding a concert in there or I’ll be sad I missed it. I’m your biggest fan.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“I do love a good shower performance. The acoustics are out of this world--but no, I was just getting ready. You can’t rush beauty, honey bear,” Tony said with a slow wink. “Seatbelt.” He reminded, waiting for Rhodey to buckle up, then immediately pulling out of his driveway faster than he probably should’ve. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Rhodey wasn’t very convinced. “Uh-huh,”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Don’t worry. I think you’re dashing, too,” The engineer waved his hand. After a pause, he spoke again. “So a ‘day out’, huh? Are we going to take a walk down the beach? Collect shells? Have a picnic?”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“You bet. Pep packed lunches and everything.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Fantastic! Bagged sandwiches are precisely what I’m craving right now.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“You and me both. How could you not drool at the thought of slightly soggy bread?” Rhodey laughed, then lowered his voice. “We’re joking now, but wait until she pulls out a wicker basket and a checkered blanket and forces us to eat sandy food.” They both knew there was a highly likely possibility they would actually be having lunch on the beach. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Pepper insisted on dragging him along on little adventures, and the small details like having a picnic on the beach were exactly the thing she loved. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>It got annoying, but he understood that she wanted to get his mind off of work. Recently, with SI going through significant changes from weapons to clean energy and technology, Tony spent his time with a phone in one hand and a pencil in the other (figuratively, of course, he used holograms and Bluetooth devices for the most part). Every second of every day was packed. The little breaks between meetings and events he had in the car would be occupied by him triple-checking code, answering phone calls, upgrading designs, etc. With every problem that suddenly reared its ugly head, Tony would be on top of it, doing everything he could to solve it. But, he did have the nighttime-- and the rare weekend--to himself, and even then he got caught up with sparks of creativity, galas, and fundraisers, and it only paid more to sacrifice a little fun. He was <em>tired</em>. Constantly. The only thing keeping him from slacking off was the subtle improvement of the company he saw every day. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>And that was exactly why whenever it was one of those rare weekends, Pepper forced him outside to enjoy himself so that he couldn’t hide away in his lab like a hermit and work himself into exhaustion (her words). Rhodey was roped into joining after the first couple of times, and then he started to like it. Tony (secretly) liked it too. Most of the time. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Fifty dollars we have a picnic,” Tony blurted out in response. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Beach or boat?” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Beach, of course.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“I say boat.” They shook hands without looking. “Do you remember when we drove...”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>They fell into an easy conversation until they pulled up to the private docks he shared with a few mutual acquaintances. The only boat he had docked there was a small, expensive yacht that he didn’t mind being accidentally ruined by the others--for the most part--while the others were hidden away at his house in a separate garage to be used on special occasions only. There was no way in <em>hell</em> he would trust anyone else around the ones that were actually worth a dime to him. He learned the hard way that most people had no remorse for destroying or taking his things no matter the sentimental value they held to him because he was rich and he could afford to replace them anyways (utter bullshit, right?). </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony turned to Rhodey while they walked down to his boat. The conversation had shifted to a different topic after they got out of the car. “No, no, no I remember ditching around 1 am--A bug showed up in an early version of JARVIS’s code and I couldn’t risk anything going wrong while I was away--I didn’t stay for the full night. The press always--”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Boys!” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony paused and looked around, squinting against the bright sun to see Pepper waving at them from the boat, annoyance written all over her face. “--gets everything wrong,” he finished, waving a little. “Let’s walk faster before she gets <em>really</em> pissed.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>When he jumped onto the yacht, he managed to avoid getting a smack on the head from the redhead by using his cursed short height to duck under her arm. Rhodey’s laugh was cut short by his own light smack. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Pepper glared at the two behind her large sunglasses. “You’re late,” she said. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony simply shrugged while Rhodey apologized. “Who cares! It’s just the three of us anyways,” Tony scoffed, already planning to walk away. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“I care,” Pepper rolled her eyes. “And, actually…” That was all he could take. Bored, he turned and left to go to the other side of the yacht before he could hear the end of the sentence. “Tony! Wait, before you--” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He bumped right into a broad chest and almost tripped over himself if it wasn't for the steady hands that caught him, gripping his waist--but then they pushed him away quickly, and he stumbled a bit before finding his balance. “Watch it!” the figure scowled. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>That deep, smooth, attractive voice was irritatingly familiar and Tony gasped. “What the fuck?!” he exclaimed, taking another step back to get an extra foot between them for good measure. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Stark,” Strange’s green-blue eyes glared at him with the heat of a thousand suns. “Why are you here?” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“This is <em>my</em> boat! I should be asking <em>you</em> that! I don't remember allowing <em>douchebags</em> on my boat.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Strange rolled his eyes. He rested his hands on his hips, looking down at the shorter man, silent for a few seconds. Tony scowled at him. “Oh! I <em>apologize</em>. I was waiting for you to leave since douchebags aren't allowed,” he said. “Or are you the exception?” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Yes, I am, actually. And you are <em>not</em>.”  </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Christine came from somewhere behind Strange, stepping into view with an amused smile directed at Tony and a wave at Rhodey. “Rhodey. Stark. It’s nice to see you guys,” she greeted. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony looked between her and Strange with a huff of anger. He liked Christine. And he wasn’t surprised to see her whatsoever. She tended to join the trio whenever she could. Apparently, she and Pepper went to college together and stayed friends in the few years since then. But the fact that she brought that <em>asshole</em> with her made no sense. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Christine, it's nice to see you too,” Rhodey grinned, completely and utterly giddy at the fight about to happen. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony gasped again. “You knew he would be here. I can't believe two of my best friends would betray me like this,” he said, turning to the two smiling tricky bastards. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“I tried to warn you,” Pepper tilted her head. “And before you start bitching, even more than you already are, I invited him. You're not the only one who needs a day off.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Two workaholic birds with one boat,” Rhodey quipped, crossing his arms. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Said ‘workaholic birds’ glared at each other. Tony would rather jump overboard than spend the rest of the day near Strange. Since the start, they hadn't gotten along. It was sometime last year when they met. Pepper wanted to see a movie that day, and she invited Christine to come along. With the doctor came her cynical friend she said needed a break. Tony hadn’t slept the past few nights because of the nightmares that tended to plague his dreams, so he was more snippy than usual, but he was always skilled at pretending to be that social, witty, slightly too arrogant self that everyone saw him as. Even with the acting, Strange hated Tony effectively immediately from when they shook hands on to infinity. Tony didn't even know <em>why</em>, which is what made him so mad. He couldn’t figure it out. Everything he tried (changing his attitude, being nice, offering help, etc) had no success. In fact, he was convinced it only fueled the hatred. So, he stopped trying to be friends after a few too many failed efforts. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony threw his arms up in defeat. “He could spend it somewhere other than here,” he paused in thought. “Actually, fuck that! I’ll see you guys later. Strange, hopefully never again.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Rhodey grabbed him by the shoulder when he spun on his heel to leave, pushing him past everyone towards the deck and away from the docks so he couldn’t escape. “No way, Tones. You’ll just go hang with those dicks you call friends and destroy your liver even more.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Ty isn't a dick.” Not to Tony, most of the time, at least. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Yes, Tony, he is,” Pepper said. The other three followed as Tony sat down on the cushions against the railing lining the deck. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Rhodey nodded. “But Hammer’s worse. He’s just using Tony for whatever sick ulterior motive he has.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony wasn't blind nor stupid enough to not notice when he was being used. He didn't even <em>like</em>  Justin, but the three of them (Ty, Justin, and him) attended boarding school together and have been friends since then. Letting go of a childhood friend was more difficult than it sounded. He just had to keep his ideas and money secure enough that Justin couldn’t figure out how to get to them. Justin was smart, but not as smart as him. He was one step ahead in the game anyway, so now he just had to be two. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Who?” Christine questioned, joining Tony on the white seats. Strange sat next to her, pointedly not looking in his direction. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Justin Hammer and Tiberius Stone. They’re dicks,” Pepper answered. “All that those idiots know how to do is throw parties and kill their brain cells doing reckless, illegal things. And they like to drag our resident idiot along with them.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Tony rolled his eyes. His headache was back in full force. “They aren't stupid. I wouldn’t be friends with them if they were.” </p><p> </p><p>“They sound stupid to me,” Strange said, leaning back and finally looking to the other genius with an unreadable expression. “But, then again, so do you, Stark.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“You can fuck right off, Strange.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Christine elbowed Strange lightly. “Everyone sounds stupid to you.” </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“I'm going to talk to the captain so we can leave. This conversation is boring.” Tony said loudly, interrupting the conversation, then (definitely not) storming off. He needed a moment. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>'“What’s with the grimace?” Strange asked, leaning forward with his forearms on his thighs, drawing attention to his toned arms, a small smirk on his lips. It was infuriatingly attractive. “Are you reading your recent trending news articles? If I were you, I’d be concerned about the ‘Tony Stark taking a vacation.’ one. People might think you’re slacking off.” </p><p> </p><p>Tony scowled. This was far from a vacation. Strange was probably making it up to piss him off. “Jokes on you, I was banned from looking at the news about me or SI. And no, I was invited to a party by a friend of mine,” He admitted, not finding any point in hiding the truth. '</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ah so I just realized the first chapter sucks but I don't feel like fixing it so hopefully it's good enough to convince people to read the second one lmao. This one (I think) is better because it has more insight into Tony's thoughts than the last one and it's longer by a bit. </p><p>The next chapter is going to ft Obie and be the beginning of the party. </p><p>Also, I'm not sure how long this story is going to be and I'm just writing and fixing up the plot as I go so I'm sorry if it's a little messy at times. The end of this chapter definitely seems rushed but I wasn't sure how to end it otherwise so oops</p><p>Thank you for reading (If I was on my phone I'd put an emoji here) I appreciate it so much</p><p>By the way, </p><p>Tony is around 21<br/>Stephen is 26</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tony exited the bridge with a lengthy sigh, playful smile fading, leaning heavily against the railing of the stairs as the yacht made its smooth departure out onto the ocean. The wind caught in his hair and pushed it back and out of his eyes, cooling the heat of his skin from the bright sun pleasantly. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>He cut the chat with Captain Brooks short today, even as they normally spent a while talking about topics like the engineering of boats or additional features Tony should add to his many different boats. Those conversations could go on for hours if neither of them had things to do. This time, however, Tony felt too drained to last longer than ten minutes so he wouldn't accidentally spit out an insult at the young man who drives his boat more often than not. The years they’ve known each other, he managed to uphold a friendly relationship (Brooks was the son of the Captain that used to drive the boat for Howard, so they grew up around each other) and he wouldn't want to ruin it over something he couldn't explain. There were too many reasons that could be the cause of his tiredness that came to mind when he thought about it, enough that all he could do was hope none of them would interrupt his day off. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>Random bursts of fatigue like the one he was currently experiencing served as a rough but effective reminder to him to dial down the complaints when he was ripped from his normal, chaotic surroundings, but the fact that he could be productive at the moment proved the notion harder than it sounded. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>God, there must be a hundred problems he could be solving. What if something was wrong with the company--“Jarvis? Any news?” Tony pushed off the metal railing, speaking to his phone that sat in his pocket against his better judgment before he could conjure up the power to stop himself. The impulsive side of him always tended to outweigh the rational side when it came to decisions like those, the ones where he had no desire to listen to the rules or do anything in his best interest. It would be selfish of him to do what was good for him, and that was the last thing he wanted to be. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>“I apologize, but I cannot say, sir. I was strictly instructed by Miss Potts to not update you on anything related to Stark Industries or your personal projects unless it is an emergency only you can solve,” Jarvis replied. The little British voice was serious and clear. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>Tony groaned. “I can override her. I <em>did </em>make you, J.” he said, and with years of practice, he hopped down the steps, not struggling for the likes of the wind or the movement of the water below his feet. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>“And I am so very grateful, sir,” is all Jarvis said in response. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t sass me,” he rolled his eyes, smiling and petting his pocket where his phone sat in affection, crossing the length of the yacht to the deck, where he could barely hear muffled chatter under the sound of the ocean and the air. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>“My apologies.” By far, and likely forever, he was the most impressive thing Tony has created in his whole entire life. Jarvis wasn’t just an AI anymore. He had personality, his own thoughts, and against all natural laws of the universe, he was a <em>person</em>. A robot couldn’t prank guests by turning on the blender to scare them, or show real concern for Tony when he became hyperfocused and spent days in the workshop, and yes, taking care of Tony was in his code, but the way he went about it showed it wasn’t simply an order. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>Jarvis had grown so much from four years ago when he was merely an intelligent learning program after Tony had his first (very drunk) attempt at bringing the AI to life not long after the human Jarvis died. Back then the coding was choppy, there were too many errors, and he was more than a little incomplete, but he was amazing, something almost immediately more advanced than the ‘bots DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers. </span>
</p><p>
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  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>When he came into view, taking his seat in the open chair (the one on the side of the table between the couch where Pep and Rhodey sat and two chairs where Strange and Christine were) there was a brief pause in the conversation to greet him before Rhodey and Strange continued passionately talking about a topic--incompetent coworkers, maybe. He wasn’t exactly sure--Tony would usually involve himself in, but didn’t have enough energy to listen to or engage in at the moment. Pepper and Christine were discussing something else entirely, softer, which sounded suspiciously like making fun of the three men accompanying them. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>His eyes caught on the clouds, watching the fluffy white against the pretty blue sky. However long of him silently staring later, Rhodey stood up. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to get something to drink. Want anything?” Rhodey directed the question to Strange. </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>Strange tilted his head in thought. “Just water, please. It’s too early for alcohol.” </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. I’ll be back.” </span>
</p><p>
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</p><p>
  <span>Once he was gone, there was nobody else to chat with Strange, and Tony really had no plan to do so until he got his energy up (why was he so exhausted anyway?), so when in doubt, he pulled out his phone to check his messages. Strange’s gaze felt heavy as Tony skimmed through his phone, searching for something that caught his attention. Thank god something did. Ty texted him earlier this morning. Three times. </span>
</p><p>
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  <span>Ty Stone - Yo Tony come to my house party next week. Justin and Sunset are coming too. </span>
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  <span>Ty Stone - Oh and just so you know Justin asked me if you’re still single again. I don't think he means be creepy lmao but I know he weirds you out sometimes. I told him idk we haven't talked in a couple of days. </span>
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  <span>Ty Stone - lmk if you're in.</span>
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  <span>Involuntarily, a shiver ran down Tony’s spine at the thought of Justin asking Ty about him behind his back—asking Ty if he was <em>single</em> behind his back. Of course, he was far from surprised. The minute Tony hit puberty, Justin had been wanting to get in his pants. One would think after turning someone down countless of times over <em>seven</em> years that they would get the hint and leave you the fuck alone, but apparently that wasn’t the case with Justin Hammer.</span>
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  <span>The creepy, somewhat obsessive interest popped up every few months, and Tony would normally distance himself, hide in his ivory tower, but a party at Ty’s wasn’t something anyone with a craving for something completely negligent (Tony) would want to miss in a hundred years.  </span>
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  <span>During the last party, which was hosted during the day, someone crashed their car into the marble statue out front and caught the bushes on fire trying to pull out of the driveway. The police and fire department finally came after multiple complaints from neighbors and half the bushes were gone, everyone scattered like cockroaches, jumping down into the ocean from the cliff in the backyard, hiding on the roof. Tony--not yet 21 at the time and trying to avoid Obidiahs anger from being arrested--was one of the cliff-jumpers, his intoxicated self barely registering it was high tide after taking a leap of faith. </span>
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  <span>It was utterly stupid of him.</span>
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  <span>But it was fun as hell. </span>
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  <span>Tony typed back an affirmative. He was undoubtedly attending that party, all he would have to do was persuade someone convincing enough to be his date to accompany him so he could get Justin off his ass. </span>
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  <span>“What’s with the grimace?” Strange asked, leaning forward with his forearms on his thighs, drawing attention to his toned arms, a small smirk on his lips. It was infuriatingly attractive. “Are you reading your recent trending news articles? If I were you, I’d be concerned about the ‘Tony Stark taking a vacation.’ one. People might think you’re slacking off.” </span>
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  <span>Tony scowled. This was far from a vacation. Strange was probably making it up to piss him off. “Jokes on you, I was banned from looking at the news about me or SI. And no, I was invited to a party by a friend of mine,” He admitted, not finding any point in hiding the truth. </span>
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  <span>Maybe Rhodey could be his date. Wait, no. Justin had met Rhodey countless times. The two did <em>not</em> get along. It had to be someone unknown. To Justin <em>and</em> Ty, because an oblivious Ty might let it slip that he thought Tony and his date were just friends. </span>
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  <span>Strange lifted his eyebrow at the first part, but he didn’t mention it when he spoke. “Right. Getting an invitation to what I assume is one of the best parties of the summer is <em>definitely</em> something <em>I</em>  would be upset about,” he said. Curiosity was practically rolling off of him in waves. </span>
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  <span>Pepper was definitely off the table. Ty had picked Tony up from hanging out with Pepper and Rhodey multiple times before with Justin in the back of the car. </span>
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  <span>“What, are you afraid that you’ll ruin your reputation by making a drunken mistake? Is that it? If so, don’t worry, there’s no need to worry. It’s general knowledge that you’re a reckless idiot.” </span>
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  <span>Christine wouldn’t quite work. She didn’t have the edge Tony needed to be more convincing.  </span>
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  <span>“No comment? I’ll take that as a yes--” </span>
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  <span>“Why do you care?” Tony snapped, rolling his eyes hard enough to fall out. He lowered his voice, quickly looking over at the girls minding their own business, still talking. They were either oblivious or simply ignoring them. “If you need to know--I need a date,” He hissed quietly. “Happy? So unless you can help by finding someone smart enough to play the role--it would be <em>amazing</em> if you could kindly shut the fuck up,” Finally, thank god, Strange fell quiet, a thoughtful look in his gorgeous eyes. </span>
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  <span>Rhodey had always had impeccable timing, Tony thought as his friend came back out with a bowl and five water bottles balancing on his arms. His friends couldn’t know he was planning on going to a party a week beforehand, or they would try to convince him to stay home. It wouldn’t work--obviously, he had already made up his mind-- but boy would it be annoying. Pepper would take the whole hang-out-with-us-instead route in her first attempt to derail his self-destruct train going at 200 mph. After that didn’t work, she would resort to more...devious methods. Stealing all of his clean clothes when he was in the shower after convincing the bots to spill motor oil on him, hiding his car keys, etc. They didn’t succeed, but he appreciated the hard work nonetheless. Rhodey didn’t do such things. He just sat, giving a disappointed frown and a word or two, already aware after years of experience that Tony’s own guilt would eat him up inside without much help. But, even though the whole guilt-tripping thing was a nightmare and a half, he would always be there to reassure an intoxicated Tony that he was not a terrible person. Pepper, too. They were the best. </span>
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  <span>But still, the fact remained that he didn’t need to waste any of their time trying to keep him out of trouble. </span>
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  <span>The bowl landed in Tony’s lap while the drinks were being handed out. It was filled with fruit. Rhodey must have taken an educated guess that he hadn’t eaten anything this morning. “Why, thank you, platypus. Have I ever told you I love you?” Tony grinned, popping a strawberry between his lips. <em>Ugh, </em>it tasted way better than he thought it would. </span>
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  <span>“Many times, Tones. I love you too.” Rhodey grinned back. He sat down and cracked open the bottle. </span>
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  <span>Strange watched the interaction, head tilted slightly, obviously still thinking. “Thank you, James.” He said as he cradled the chilled water between his hands. </span>
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  <span>“No problem, Stephen.” </span>
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  <span>“Woah, woah, woah! <em>James?</em>  <em>Stephen?</em>  Since when were you two on a first-name basis?” Tony’s brain finally caught up to his surroundings again. </span>
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  <span>Rhodey just laughed and teased, “Where the hell have you been? Maybe if you got out of that head of yours, you would have noticed that we have always been on a first-name basis.” </span>
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  <span>“Same here. You two have a weird dynamic,” Pepper said with a knowing smile. Knowing what? He hadn’t a clue. </span>
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  <span>Tony turned to Strange, confused. How had he not noticed that he was the only one Strange addressed by his last name? “Should I be offended that you still call me Stark?” Tony questioned. Right now, the fact didn’t matter that he couldn’t get himself to call the doctor <em>Stephen</em>. It sounded weird.</span>
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  <span>Not deep in thought anymore, Strange replied. “Yes, you should be offended, Stark. That was my master plan all along. To get your panties in a twist.” he deadpanned, his amusement glaringly obvious behind the blank expression. </span>
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  <span>“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Tony narrowed his eyes. Then he took a shot in the dark to see what kind of reaction he would get. “But, I know the real reason! You want to get in my pants. It makes so much sense as to why you always have the need to bother me--and mention my underwear just then. I feel for you, Strange, I really do. It must hurt to know that Tony Stark won’t sleep with you.” </span>
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  <span>He was almost taken aback by the pretty, light blush that blossomed on Strange’s pale cheeks as the other rolled his eyes and scoffed. <em>Interesting</em>. “You’d like it if that were true, wouldn’t you.” He scowled. </span>
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  <span>Christine suddenly laughed, and Pepper smoothly intervened before Tony could abuse his new groundbreaking revelation that Strange can <em>blush</em> or Christine could embarrass Strange even more (a shame, really). “We’re almost at the cove,” She said, nodding to the strip of land not far in the distance. </span>
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  <span>‘The cove’ was another name for Maria’s Island, a small island not too far off of Malibu, creatively named by Howard as a gift for their one year wedding anniversary. It wasn’t too ginormous, but it had plenty of coastline, a reasonably large cove, and it had a patch of woods in the middle that hid a small waterfall and a safehouse. Tony’s parents built it in case of emergencies, and only a few people alive today knew about the house. It was heavily guarded and protected by plenty of security protocols, probably more than necessary. For some reason, Howard told Tony to not reveal it or any of the other safehouses to Obie. He was confused, but he followed his father’s wishes nonetheless. He could count the people who <em>did</em> know about the house on one hand if he had seven fingers. Him, Rhodey, Pepper, his bodyguard/friend Happy, Brooks Christine, and now Stephen (maybe not, if they didn’t go to the house). The first four were for purely security reasons, just so they wouldn’t worry too much if something happened and he disappeared. Brooks helped build the house with Tony and their fathers, and he was the transporter. Christine, because she accidentally wandered too far and activated a security protocol. Tony, while disabling it, explained what she did, and made her sign the agreement to never, under any circumstances, reveal the location to anyone on the face of the earth and such that everyone else had to sign. </span>
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  <span>But he wasn’t going to tell Strange about it. Not yet, at least, if ever. </span>
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  <span>Anyway, Maria, of course, loved the island and was excited to make visiting it a tradition once Tony was old enough to walk/crawl--He didn’t really remember when he first went--and a tradition it was. Every winter, on their annual Malibu vacation, they would take a day trip or two to the island. Because Brooks’s father was already on the boat to drive it, he and Brooks would occasionally join them. When they could, Aunt Peggy and the Jarvis’s would come along, too. Some of the best memories of his childhood were from the island. Tony, now living in Malibu, visited more often than he used to, sometimes installing more technology, and other times just to swim in the cove with Rhodey and Pepper occasionally joining him. </span>
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  <span>Rhodey gladly took the opportunity for a new topic, even though he enjoyed seeing Tony and Strange interact for whatever reason. “Oh, yeah. By the way, are we going to have a picnic?” He asked innocently (and still suspiciously), him and Tony making eye contact for a second. </span>
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  <span>Pepper gave them a <em>look</em> but answered anyway, “Of course. I was thinking in the cove, or maybe on the beach next to it.” </span>
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  <span>“I haven’t had a picnic in a while,” Christine said. </span>
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  <span>“Me neither,” said Strange. </span>
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  <span>Tony grinned at Rhodey, mouthing the words ‘fifty bucks’. His friend barely suppressed a groan. Sooner rather than later, they docked the boat, grabbed their lunches, and were on their way towards the cove. Tony led the way, leaving plenty of space between him and the other four, at least he thought so until Strange caught up and fell into pace with him. </span>
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  <span>“What do you want?” Tony asked, shooting the taller man an annoyed look. </span>
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  <span>Strange searched his face for something before speaking. “Why don't you bring James?” He questioned, voice quiet and inquisitive. Right. Curiosity. That explained why he decided to talk. Tony, too, was a sucker for knowing as much as he could. </span>
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  <span>“You don't think I already ruled him out? I can't bring anyone I’ve been seen with before this party,” Tony lowered his own voice as he explained. Talking to someone else about this could possibly help him decide who to bring, and honestly, he was planning on going back and forth with Jarvis later, but he might as well take this opportunity while it presented itself. </span>
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  <span>“Christine?” Strange hummed. </span>
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  <span>“Not convincing enough and not really my type.” </span>
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  <span>“Okay, what about one of those idiot friends of yours--Stone and Hammer?” Tony grit his teeth and Strange, surprisingly, almost immediately caught on. <em>Damn</em> <em>him</em>. “Hold on. You’re telling me you’re going to lie to your supposed ‘friends’ about something as trivial as a <em>date</em>?” </span>
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  <span>“I didn't<em> tell you</em> anything other than I need a rando to accompany me to a party. You’re making things up.” </span>
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  <span>“Uh-huh. Like you and your ‘date’ aren't making anything up, either.” </span>
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  <span>Tony totally didn’t kick sand at Strange. That would be childish.  </span>
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  <span>Strange gasped, scowling down at the sand now in his sandals. “You are literally five years old, Stark.” </span>
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  <span>Tony stuck out his tongue in response. “And you’re like eighty. You probably carry around pictures of your grandkids in that wallet of yours.” </span>
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  <span>“I’m only twenty-six--” </span>
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  <span>“Oh! Cant talk--going into the woods!” </span>
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  <span>Tony quickly climbed up a tall rock and hurried into the trees. He mentally traced the invisible barriers of the house’s security and stayed a large distance away. If he lost his friends on the way, that was alright, they knew how to get to the cove. Strange hadn't been there before. Oh well. He could go with the others. </span>
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  <span>But not long after that thought crossed his mind, he heard a smooth voice curse from behind him. </span>
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  <span>“Stark!” </span>
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  <span>“Fuck off,” Tony groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation. </span>
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  <span>“You didn't answer my question before ditching me,” Strange pointed out, gracefully stepping out in front of Tony, trying to get him to stop. </span>
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  <span>Tony moved around him. Strange stood there, unmoving, letting him pass. “Oh my god. <em>Leave me alone!</em>” he yelled. He got a few steps in before Strange suddenly spoke (more like blurted out) again. </span>
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  <span>“I’ll be your date.” </span>
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  <span><em>That</em> caused Tony to stop, freezing in his tracks, then turning around with a shocked expression. His mind whirred and the realization hit him like a truck--Strange would be the perfect date. Smart, snarky, handsome, and intimidating enough that Hammer wouldn't bother either of them too much while they were with one another. The two didn't get along, but playing pretend was never hard for Tony, and Strange could probably catch on just as well. They also had a certain type of banter which could appear as flirting to anyone else, and he knew that because Rhodey once said that they could charge a Tesla with the electricity between them after one particular fight they had--and sure, Tony found Strange hot, but he doubted Strange felt the same. So why would Strange offer to be his date if he didn't even like Tony as a <em>friend? </em></span>
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  <span>“Fuck,” Tony took a breath, suddenly feeling lightheaded. “What’s in it for you?” </span>
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  <span>“A party, I suppose. <em>Maybe</em> something else. I haven't decided what I want yet.” </span>
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  <span>“We’ll--we can talk about this later.” </span>
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  <span>Strange nodded, and Tony started walking again, confused as all hell.  </span>
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